Printer having plural hammers and a single hammer actuating means



0, 1968 H. SPALINGER ETAL 3,397,766

PRINTER HAVING PLURAL HAMMERS AND A SINGLE HAMMER ACTUATING MEANS FiledFeb. 28, 1967 United States Patent Olfice 3,397,766 Patented Aug. 20,1968 3,397,766 PRINTER HAVING PLURAL HAMMERS AND A SINGLE HAMMERACTUATING MEANS Hans Spalinger and Walter Reber, Bern, Switzerland,assignors to Hasler A.-G., Bern, Switzerland, a corporation ofSwitzerland Filed Feb. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 619,253 Claims priority,application Switzerland, Mar. 1, 1966, 2,948/66 7 Claims. (Cl. 197-57)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure provides a printer which hasa plurality of hammer means, but only one hammer actuating means. Thehammer actuating means is moved into registry with a selected hammermeans and then actuates the selected hammer.

The present invention relates to an improved printing device forteleprinters, typewriters and the like, Wherein it has already beenproposed to provide such printing device with a type carrier beingdisplaceable in the direction of the lines to be printed on a paper, infront of a stationary paper carrier.

One of the reasons which led to this development which deviate fromusual typewriter construction is that the printing device can be madelighter than the paper carrier extending along the full line width.Since in teleprinters the return of the printing device from the end ofthe line to the start of the line occurs during the time occupied by oneor at most two type impressions, the displaceable part of the printingdevice must be made particularly light. The teleprinters employednowadays operate with a writing speed of approximately impacts persecond. The time available for the return of the printing device thusamounts to less than 100 milliseconds.

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a printingdevice of extremely lightweight construction so that proper return canbe accomplished in this short time.

More specifically, it is a nobject of the invention to provide aprinting device for teleprinters, typewriters and like writing machines,which comprises a carrier for the paper to be :printed .on and a typecarrier which is at least partly formed by a comparatively thin springleaf, said part being contiguous to the paper carrier andmultisegmentally divided into a plurality of spring tongues which havetheir free ends in front of the paper carrier, each tongue carrying atleast one printing type near its free end, and which device comprisesfurther a striking mechanism having a plurality of striking hammers forcooperation with any of the type carrying tongue ends, one hammer foreach impact per line of printing, and a cam plate adapted to be drivenby rotation and displaceable in the direction of the lines of printingfor actuating said striking hammers consecutively.

The characteristic features of the invention are fully disclosed in thefollowing description and the accompanying drawing of a preferredembodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows the printing device according to the invention in section,and

FIG. 2 shows an elevation as viewed from A in FIG. 1, of the printingdevice.

Referring to the drawings a type carrier for a teleprinter printingdevice is constructed as a thin spring leaf 1, whose upper part isdivided into a plurality of narrow tongue-like type elements 3 which areelastical transversally to the spring leaf 1. These each carry twodifferent printing types 4, which are arranged one above the other. Thetypes 4 are unitary with the spring leaf 1. The spring leaf 1 of athickness of about 0.3 mm. only, is fastened on a light spring leafholder 5 and is displaceably arranged on guide means including two trackbars 6 and 7 extending in the direction of the lines to be printed.

The setting of a character to be printed occurs in the horizontaldirection by means of a connecting element 8 which is positivelyconnected to a setting roll 10 by means of an endless band 9.

The spindle 11 of this setting roll 10 controlled direct by means of adecoder which is not illustrated. A roll 12 merely serves the purpose ofa deflecting roller. Members 8-12 are first control means for the typecarrier 1,3. A toothed bar or rack 15 (illustrated in FIG. 1 only),extends across the full printing width and is pivotable to engage in atoothed member 16 fastened on the spring leaf holder 5 immediately afterthe coarse setting of a character and type element by the control means8-12, and before the impingement of a type element by a printing hammer2. The fine setting of the character to be printed is thus accomplishedby engagement of the elements 15 and 16 so that each type is locatedopposite a corresponding impact zone of a line on the platen and sheetthereon.

A hammer 2 is provided for each impact zone per line of writing. Thehammers are pivotably mounted in a hammer frame 17 on a common shaft 27and are drawn against a hammer rest 18 by means of a spring which is notillustrated. The actuation of each printing hammer 2 is effected bymeans of a rotary cam plate 19 which is provided with several lobes 20uniformly distributed around its periphery. The cam plate 19 isautomatically rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 by asquare section driving shaft 21.

In the embodiment illustrated, it is possible to actuate consecutivelythree hammers to obtain three impacts per revolution of the drivingspindle 21. The cam lobe 20 which is operative, rolls against theprojecting part 26 of the hammer 2, thereby speeding it up, until thehammer is released by the lobe and freely moves as it passes through thelast part of its pivotal movement towards the paper support platen 28and drives type elements 3 located in its path of movement into impactwith platen 28. The springy type element which immediately springs backto its initial position as shown at 3 and the weight of the hammercauses the hammer to fall back onto the hammer rest bar 18. The camplate 19 is displaced in the direction of the lines to the next positionby the connecting element 22 in each instance. The movement of theconnecting element 22, i.e. the advance in steps during typing and thereturn at the end of the line, occur in similar manner to that of thehorizontal setting of the type carrier, the endless band 23 being inengagement with the setting roll 24 as well as with the connectingelement 22. The roll 25 acts as a guide roller. Members 22-25 are secondcontrol means for moving the drive cam plate 19, 20 to a selectedoperative position.

A vertical shifting mechanism, which occurs optionally in two or threesteps, is incorporated for setting of the type carrier in the verticaldirection. The step a (FIG. 1) corresponds to the basic position. Notype impression is possible in this position, but it is needed howeverin order to ensure full visibility of the written test. The step b isintended for the upper row and the step c for the lower row of thecharacters. If visibility of the written test is not needed, a verticaldisplacement between the steps b and c alone is sufiicient, whereformeans are provided which are not illustrated but adapted to permit onlysuch displacement. This has the advantage that the displacements areless frequent and less extensive and that wear and noise thus diminishedconsiderably. During this vertical shifting action, the complete typecarrier with the spring leaf holder 5 and the two track bars 6 and 7, isdisplaced vertically by means of the lavers 13 and 14.

What we claim is:

1. A printing device comprising, in combination, support means forsupporting a sheet along a line of impact zones; type carrier meansincluding a series of type elements having a series of typesrepresenting the characters of a system of characters arranged in a rowextending in one direction along said line, each type element beingmounted movable toward and away from said support means and sheet, andadapted to cooperate with an impact zone; guide means supporting saidtype carrier means for movement in said one direction; first controlmeans for moving said type carrier means in said one direction so as toplace a selected type element in a position of readiness locatedopposite a selected zone of said line; a row of printing hammersrespectively located opposite said impact zones of said line and havingthe same number as said impact zones so that each type element registerswith one of said hammers in displaced positions of said type carriermeans, said printing hammers being mounted for movement between aposition of rest and a printing position for driving the type elementregistering therewith toward the respective impact zone; drive meansincluding a single rotary drive cam means having at least one cam lobeand being mounted for movement in said one direction along said row ofprinting hammers between a number of operative positions disposed inregistry with any single selected one of said printing hammers, andsecond control means for moving said drive cam means to a selectedoperative position registering with the printing hammer which registers'with the selected type element for moving the respective printinghammer to said printing position so that the selected type element isdriven to a position in which the type thereof cooperates with aselected zone of said line.

2. A printing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said type carriermeans includes a spring leaf having a series of spring tonguesconstituting said type elements and having said types at the endsthereof, respectively; and wherein said printing hammers resilientlydeform the respective spring tongue during movement to said printingposition so that the deformed spring tongue returns to an initialposition of rest when the respective printing hammer returns to saidposition of rest thereof.

3. A printing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam meansincludes a plurality of cam lobes, each cam lobe being operative to movea printing hammer to said printing position; and wherein said secondcontrol means move said drive cam means along said row of printinghammers at a speed related to the rotary speed of said drive cam meansso that each of said lobes engages and operates a different printinghammer during each revolution of said drive cam means.

4. A printing device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said drive cam hasthree lobes spaced 120; wherein said printing hammers have cam followerportions cooperating with said lobes; and comprising means supportingsaid printing hammers for pivotal movement.

5. A printing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive meansinclude a shaft extending in said one direction; wherein said drive cammeans is a drive cam plate having the width of a printing hammer, andbeing mounted on said drive shaft for rotation therewith and for axialmovement along the same; and wherein said second control means areconnected with said drive cam plate for moving the same along said driveshaft.

6. A printing device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second controlmeans include an endless band connected with said drive cam plate androller means supporting and driving said endless band.

7. A printing device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a rack barextending in said one direction and having a number of rack teeth andnotches equal to the number of said impact zones and beingcorrespondingly spaced; and a toothed means secured to said type carriermeans for movement therewith along said rack bar in said one direction,said rack bar engaging said toothed means whereby the respectiveselected type element is exactly placed opposite a selected zone by saidrack bar after having been moved with said type carrier means -by saidfirst control means to a position of readiness substantial- 1y oppositethe selected zone.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 620,960 4/1899 Pratt 197-572,686,469 8/ 1954 Toggenburger 101-46 2,874,634 2/1959 Hense 101-932,936,704 5/1960 Hense 101-93 3,135,195 6/1964 Potter 101-93 3,152,54010/ 1-964 Pensavecchia et al. 101-93 3,155,033 11/1964 Nelson et al.101-93 3,217,853 11/1965 Gentilini 197-17 3,255,693 6/ 1966 Eissfeldt etal. 101-93 3,256,969 6/ 1966 Bretti 101-93 ROBERT E. PULFREY, PrimaryExaminer.

E. S. BURR, Assisiant Examiner.

